Certificate for emergency lighting

TPES · Dec 7, 2010

I have been asked by a local shop if I could provide them with an "emergency lighting certificate" that the local building control have asked for to sign of building work that has been done.

The original electrical work was done around 18 months ago including the install of the emergency lighting, this electrical company has now gone bust now and unable to contact anyone.

The only certificates I have are commissioning certificates for new installs (4 pages)

Or periodic for emergency lights (2 pages)

I think they would prefer the commissioning cert but says on the cert it must be accompanied by a eic or mw, which I obviously can't provide. Or can I still do the commissioning without either of these?

Or do I do a PIR for eme??

I've never filled in either of these so it's new to me, any help or an example of one filled in would be very helpful.

ringer · Dec 27, 2010

You cannot provide an installation certificate because you did not install it - and that cert asks you to declare your qualifications, which I assume you don't have (to cover the design of Emergency Lighting)
All you can do is a periodic, and mark the limitations as found (e.g. no drawings available, no past reports)
Get a copy of BS5266 and the book "Electrician's guide to Emergency Lighting'

Make sure you refer to the standard before answering each section on the cert - it is not difficult, but must be done right - it will be your signature on it so you will be assuming responsibility!

accordfire · Dec 27, 2010

TPES said:
I have been asked by a local shop if I could provide them with an "emergency lighting certificate" that the local building control have asked for to sign of building work that has been done.

The original electrical work was done around 18 months ago including the install of the emergency lighting, this electrical company has now gone bust now and unable to contact anyone.

The only certificates I have are commissioning certificates for new installs (4 pages)

Or periodic for emergency lights (2 pages)

I think they would prefer the commissioning cert but says on the cert it must be accompanied by a eic or mw, which I obviously can't provide. Or can I still do the commissioning without either of these?

Or do I do a PIR for eme??

I've never filled in either of these so it's new to me, any help or an example of one filled in would be very helpful.

They will be looking for a test cert - or annual compliance cert as it is often called.

The very best you can do is a full annual test, and note any departures you find.

It will require to comply with BS5266:2009 Part 1.

There are certain considerations you need to make too - are the lights spaced correctly, or the correct rating, and so on - and you will need to make a judgment call as to the system and whether or not it complies with the design guide, and as such is a suitable design for the premises or not.

In cases like these, you very best bet is to insist on seeing the Fire Risk Assessment for the property, and taking your lead from that - it will almost certainly have comment on the emergency lighting, and if not - I'd be questioning the company who carried out the Risk Assessment in some depth.

This is a fundamental problem with Fire Safety Law being so fragmented from the regulations and rules that govern what make up fire safety.

And without dis-respect to any other electrician, one of the reasons why as I keep saying, it is not a case of banging a few lights, or smoke detectors up, and that'll do the job. There's a good reason these systems are covered by Standards.

If you're at all in doubt, then it would be best to get a specialist contractor to do the job on your behalf, perhaps, and bill you, so you in turn can bill your customer.